Biometric authentication is used in a variety of electronic systems for tasks such as authenticating user and account information in a payment transaction, limiting access to a personal electronics device, and controlling access to one or more physical locations. Advances in biometrics have allowed for increased adoption of biometric authentication in personal devices (e.g., mobile phones, wearables, smart speakers) using technologies such as fingerprint identification, face recognition, iris scanning and voice recognition. However, factors such as hardware and processing limitations and the wide variety of use cases and environments in which these devices may be used can make secure and reliable biometric authentication challenging.
With the proliferation of voice interaction devices such as smart speakers and the popularity of hands-free voice-controlled applications, the demand for voice authentication is increasing. Compared with other biometrics technologies such as fingerprint matching or iris scanning, however, voice biometric authentication systems have relatively high false acceptance rates (FAR) and false rejection rates (FRR). The voice interaction devices may be used in a variety of environments that further reduce the reliability and security of voice biometric authentication. In a controlled, quiet environment, the reliability of voice biometrics may reach an acceptable level, but the reliability drops when the voice controlled device is operated in a noisy environment. Solutions that add costly hardware or hinder the expected user experience of a hands-free, voice-controlled application are not desirable in many applications. As a result, voice authentication remains challenging when used with mobile devices, in noisy environments and/or with applications requiring a high level of security and reliability.
In view of the forgoing, there is a continued need in the art for improved voice biometrics systems and methods that are secure and reliable when used in a variety of devices, applications and environments.